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Pros And Cons Of The Declaration Of Independence

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The Declaration of Independence is a document that discusses the grievances of the colonists. It expresses the fundamental concepts that form the American nation: All beings are created free, equal, and possess the same fundamental natural rights. For centuries, many people lived as subjects and slaves to various despots, monarchs, kings and queens. Any enjoyment of life or property had to be authorized by the government, not by the rights of the people. America changed all of that. Alone among nations, America is founded on an ideology of individual rights. This philosophy transformed the world by creating what was, and still is, the greatest republic on earth. The first few paragraphs of the Declaration summarizes the essentials of …show more content…

This was made of warrants, permitting officials to search for smuggled material within any suspected premises. James Otis was an Advocate-General, who protected the warrants when it became legal. Moreever, after the Boston merchants retained him as their council to oppose the writs before the Superior Court of Massachusetts, Otis refused the offer. Otis dictated a speech that lasted five hours, who was witnessed by John Adams. He based his case on the rights guaranteed in the “English Common Law.” In this document Otis stated, “...everyman, merely natural, was an independent sovereign, subject to no law written on his heart and revealed to him by his maker, in this constitution of his nature and the inspiration of his understanding and his conscious. No creature, man or beast, had a right to take it away from him.” (pg.3, Constitution of the US) Otis is stating, that every individual has the right to own a home, have their own personal belongings, and the right of ownership. Furthermore, this is known as the Fourth Amendment of the Bill of Rights, “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.” (pg.1,law.cornell.edu) …show more content…

For example, the First Amendment: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” (pg.1,US constitution online) The first amendments addresses the idea of the list of grievances. Such as to, the right to live a life free from oppression and the right to believe in one’s own religion. Therefore, with the document of the Declaration it, emphasizes how people felt and the complaints about the King, and the changes individuals wanted to see in the nation. As one can see this was a form of freedom of speech and freedom of self-expression for the

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